WIRED
24 Photographs by Arthur Mange

ABOUT THE EXHIBIT

Wires are sometimes said to ruin otherwise good pictures and are to be avoided if at all possible. But here wires are the focus of interest: fences, utility lines, artwork, suspension bridges, and whatnot. They are arranged in order of distance from my front door – thirty feet to thousands of miles. The older black and white pictures used 35-millimeter film and various cameras. My current digital camera is much more versatile. In either case, I have indulged in very little manipulation of the original photo – some cropping, a little more contrast or lightening or darkening or spot removal is about it.

I thank Matthew Berube, Head of Information Services of the Jones Library and computer expert, for putting this exhibit online – no need for me to print, mount, mat, frame, transport, hang, and carry away. I like that.

ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER

I came to Amherst with my wife and young children in 1964. I taught genetics at the University of Massachusetts, and with my wife, Elaine Johansen Mange, co-authored four college textbooks, one winning two awards for good writing. I have served on several committees in Amherst, including the Conservation Commission and the Committee for the Burnett Gallery at the Jones Library, the latter for 17 years. I am a member of the Pioneer Valley Photographic Artists, a group dedicated to promoting fine art photography. For over half a century, my photographs have included animals, plants, gravestones, architecture, signs, shadows, close-ups, wire, and travel sights – Norway and Costa Rica being particularly photogenic.

E-mail: amange@bio.umass.edu